Sunflowers & Cherry Blossom
by kat of longtails
Summary: Sakurako/Himawari :: Several years down the line Himawari has cause to reflect on her life with Sakurako, and finds it bittersweet.


**Sunflowers & Cherry Blossom  
><strong>~ a Yuru Yuri fanfiction ~

_A/N: For such a relatively short piece I've spend an stupendously silly amount of time tweaking this. Mainly to try to get the characterisations right. Hopefully it was worth it!_

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><p>.<p>

The tunnel of ancient contorted trees opened up to a clearing with a stunning view across the Sea of Japan. …Or so she had to remind herself, the weather this early afternoon cloaking everything with a blinding grey squall of sideways airborne wetness.

The atmosphere showed every sign of having read her mood and then setting about getting things _just right,_ to make her feel as _bad_ as possible. Two lazy plaits of chest-length dull blueberry-coloured hair danced together in the swirling rain. Only those ties and a trusty hairband kept the tresses from themselves being whipped up into a storming tempest …although how fitting that would be right now. Although looking at it one way, she was glad for the weather, it allowed her to deny to herself the tears she was no longer holding back. Placing down her basket and lantern, Himawari sat for a moment on the ornamental rock, worn smooth from thousands of visitors, and remembered better weather, better times, when they had first come here, when **she** had lead her here.

She'd been insistent they go, and go right now, but refused to tell Himawari why. Shaking her head over her obtuse frie… 'friend', she rolled the word around in her head …then brushed it aside. Despairing at the girl, she'd grabbed an umbrella and walking lantern, before being literally dragged out the door to cries of _"We're going to be __**LATE! **__And it'll be all __**YOUR**__ fault!"_. "Late for what?" she'd angrily demanded, annoyed at being saddled with blame for something she wasn't even being made privy to, only to be met with those far too familiar sullen and avoidant answers.

When they finally had got there, the more mature of the two was no further informed, much to her chagrin. The blonde had stridently marched her up the hill from the train station, up the temple steps, through the graveyard, under a tunnel of trees and then just, stopped dead. _"Is this it?" _she remembered asking in confusion. Her tormentor only beaming an idiotic smile at her.  
><em>"The sea? And some scrub?"<br>__"I know, isn't it great!"  
><em>She'd blinked in astonishment at the imbecile.  
><em>"Sorry, I take that back. It's not EVEN the damned sea, that's alllll the way down <em>_**there**__ and we're stuck allll the way up __**here**__, in the bushes! …We could have got better back home. Without all that rushing!"  
><em>The idiot then dropped down to sit on a rock, roughly pulling Himawari with her. Almost falling backwards off it the, _clearly_, far more sensible one cursed loud enough, she recollected, for the gods to hear and in exasperation, **again** enquired as to what she'd been suddenly dragged halfway across the flaming prefecture for. _"Wait."_ was all she got in reply.

After maybe half an hour of waiting, she must have fallen asleep as she awoke with a start to the blonde one poking her in the cheek. She was about to thump her on her head, when she noticed the girl's face "_You look odd, flushed." _A pointing finger towards the cliff edge was the only response. The burning crimson sun was dipping down to the horizon, painting the sky (and everything else, including stupidface) a beautiful pink, underscored with peach and gold, all of which glinted back off the shimmering sea. As they sat, watching the sun slowly vanish in silence, she noticed they were still holding hands. _'Why would she still be holding on?, she's not leading …dragging me, anywhere anymore'_ she thought to herself. Yet still she didn't let go, and neither did the contemptible girl. After the sun had long gone and all the other colours melted into a receding blue reminiscent of her hair in summer, Himawari had asked slightly dejectedly_"Why did you wait till the end to wake me? I missed some."  
><em>_"I..I.. fell asleep, too!"  
><em>_"Stupid."  
><em>Himawari's cutting assessment was met with a scowling pout.

As they got up to go home, the blonde suddenly jumped in the air and dashed though the tree tunnel crying out _"Leeeet's goooo hoooome! …Before the __**ghooosts**__ get yoo-" _but was cut short with a crashing, thudding sound. Himawari went to vocalise several different sharp thoughts, but finding herself unable to bother, simply sighed …loud enough for the idiot to hear, of course. Taking a moment to get out the lantern and light it, she sedately followed through the darkness, minding to watch her step, before finding the burden splayed out on the grass. A muddy hand reached out for her lantern and she teasingly lifted it away.  
><em>"Shall I <em>_**enlighten**__ you as to where you went wrong?"  
><em>_"Don't want your rubbish light anyway! …How...'d you even know to bring it?"  
><em>_"I was going out with YOU, so I had to be prepared for __**any**__ crisis!" _Himawari had replied, rolling her eyes.  
>An amber glow bounced and clattered away between gravemarkers as Himawari was wrenched down into the darkness by a vengeful demon.<p>

~ ツン ~ ツン ~ ツン ~ ツン ~

Himawari carefully felt the dented handle of the copper lantern in her hand. She didn't need it at this time of day, even in horrible weather like this, but she brought it anyway …every time she had visited. _'Not that there's anything to that!'_ she reactively thought to herself. Coming fully back to the present, she stood up and walked over to one of the dozen or so graves that now occupied the once empty clearing. Upon a shiny new pillar of black granite Himawari traced a finger along the carved characters; 櫻, 子. Sakura. Ko.

A whimper leaked past her quivering lips and she clutched the hand back against her ample chest. She paused, waiting for Sakurako's obligatory insult or attack against her assets, but none ever came. Despite how callous she knew it would sound to an outsider, Himawari couldn't help smiling through her sorrow at the irony of what had brought them to this parting. Breasts. It really was how Sakurako had always ranted, 'breasts ruining her life' …just, it wasn't the pair she seemed forever _fixated_ on. Himawari wondered if it was karma, a curse for her jealousy? It was a sort of breast growth, right? Well that's how the doctor had explained it, cancer.

She wiped 'rainwater' from her eyes, then busied herself doing what she had come here to do in the first place. Himawari felt fortunate that out here in the countryside there was less of the pressure on land that meant graves down in Tōkyō were so expensive and crowded. Here, there was a small square of land in front of gravestone's base where they had been allowed to plant a miniature cherry tree. Ayano-senpai and Akaza-san had helped her do it the day after the funeral. But today the support stick it was lashed to seemed to be the only thing keeping it from blowing away, as the rain lashed around.

Having finished, Furutani Himawari said a prayer for her lo- ..for her frie... …for her wi- …, for _**her**_ Sakura and, kissing the stone, stood up, gathered her things, then walked slowly away. In her wake one would see, between the swirls of rain and mist, that the branching, budding cherry blossom was now joined by a singular, tall-standing, straight-stemmed sunflower.

~ デレ ~ デレ ~ デレ ~ デレ ~

Amongst the overcast grey swirlings one could almost think the figure of a young woman formed. It appeared to jump down from on top of the stone pillar, stared at the new addition, then turned to look down the path to the departing heartbroken woman. _"Idiot Himawari, what would I want with a stupid sunfl...oh. …Oh, Hi- Hima- mawari. I…I.. l..lo….LOATH Y..ou."_ If she had had corporeal form you might have seen a tear run down the cheek of the hopelessly conflicted tsundere.

.

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><p><em>AN 1: As ever, any constructive comments or criticisms are very welcome. _

_A/N 2: Regarding their names and the reference to plants; 'Sakura' means 'cherry tree' or 'cherry blossom', with 'ko' (when used as a suffix in a name) meaning 'child', while 'Himawari' simply means 'sunflower'. (Although, as far as my understanding of Japanese linguistics goes, in general {for example} Sakurako would think of Himawari being called "Hi-ma-wa-ri" as opposed to 'Sunflower' as meanings are attached to the specific written forms of the names. Hence her delay in understanding the planting gesture.)_


End file.
